Combinatorial excess intersection (Q480696)

Given two homogeneous ideals \(J\subset I\subset {\mathbb C}[x_0,\ldots, x_n],\) the \textit{excess intersection} of \(V(J)\) with respect to \(V(I)\) is the quasiprojective variety \(V(J)\setminus V(I)\), and the \textit{excess number} \(E(I;J)\) is the cardinality of this quasiprojective variety. The main result of this paper is a combinatorial formula for computing this excess number in the case \(I\) is the monomial ideal \(\langle x_i^{p_i},\,1\leq i\leq k\rangle,\) and \(J\) is generated by \(n\) homogeneous polynomials of respective degrees \(d_1,\ldots, d_n\) satisfying \[ \min\{d_1,\ldots, d_n\}\geq\max\{p_1,\ldots, p_k\}. \] The proof relates this excess number with the volume of a subdivided simplex, which later in the paper is used to provide homotopy continuation algorithms as those described by \textit{A. J. Sommese} and \textit{C. W. Wampler II} [The numerical solution of systems of polynomials. Arising in engineering and science. River Edge, NJ: World Scientific (2005; Zbl 1091.65049)] and implemented in [\textit{J. Daniel, J. D. Hauenstein, A. J. Sommese} and \textit{C. W. Wampler}, ``Bertini: software for numerical algebraic geometry'', \url{http://www.swmath.org/software/6683}, available at bertini.nd.edu \url{doi:/10.7274/R0H41PB5}] among other programs, to give upper and lower bounds on excess numbers of any homogeneous ideal \(I\subset{\mathbb C}[x_0,\ldots, x_n]\).